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GPWEEK.com // 24
GPWEEK.com //
PARTNERS:
With three weeks between the
previous race and this one in China,
the teams had plenty of time to
develop new packages, to introduce
on their cars here in Shanghai.
Some of the changes seen on the cars
were ‘corrections’ of some problems
encountered in the first two races, but
most were new components, part of a
planned development. That was the case
for most of the top teams, other than
McLaren, which modified its rear diffuser
in order to find a more acceptable
balance of the car and especially
downforce, so to reduce the wing angles
that dragged too much in terms of speed
from the cars made in Woking in the first
two outings.
The team that introduced a really
relevant number of changes was Ferrari.
The F138 this year is on another planet
compared to the F2012. The changes
usually tested on Friday now mostly
remain on the car for the rest of the
weekend, instead of being stripped off
as happened last year. The main reason
for that is that now the correlation
between the data from wind tunnel
and track is more precise, and so the
feedback from the drivers is positive
for most of the new bits and pieces
introduced so far.
This time, a revised front wing,
featuring two horizontal slits, instead of
the single one present at the previous
race, in the outermost section of the
endplates, and an extended vertical fin
dividing the upper flaps, was part of a
complete aero package introduced here.
The wing in fact was coupled with a new
version of turning vanes placed under
the front bottom of the chassis, featuring
a three-element assembly compared to
the two of the precious version.
As well, the brake cooling drums were
modified in order to improve the cooling
of the discs. They featured a double
cut throughout their circumference, as
wide as the disc thickness. In this way
the radial cooling holes in the disc could
better dissipate the heat in the twister
section of the track.
Refinements to the rear wing and
bottom were also part of this huge
package.
Another team that has noticeably
improved its pace is Mercedes. The car
seems pretty competitive for single-lap
speed, even if it still lacks in terms of
pace during the race. Since its debut in
Australia, the W04 has struck a chord
with its interesting hidden secret, the
FRIC, the front and rear interconnected
suspension system that allows the
car to always have the perfect balance
between front and rear axle. We will
analyze more deeply the system at a
later stage, as it requires further in depth
analysis and knowledge of the system
and how it effectively works.
Apart from this device, he W04
sported a revised front wing with a
revised additional flap featuring an
S-shaped fin, at its inner edge, to
manage more efficiently the airflow
passing in this section of the wing and
increase the airflow speed in the lower
edge of the wing, to increase downforce
without adding drag to this wing
configuration.
Ferrari makes good progress
TECHNICAL
PAOLO
FILISETTI
Technical
Editor
F1 >>> CHINA